The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Piaf, Edith
(päf´) (KEY) , 1915–63, French cabaret singer, born as Edith Giovanna Gassion. She began to sing at 15 in cafés and in the streets of Paris and was soon engaged to sing in a cabaret. Fame quickly followed her appearances in nightclubs all over Europe and America. Piaf appeared in several movies, starring in Le Bel Indifférent (1940), originally a play written for her by Jean Cocteau. Her highly emotional and powerful voice was enormously expressive. Her performance of the song Milord was especially cherished by international audiences.
äf´) (KEY) , 1915–63, French cabaret singer, born as Edith Giovanna Gassion. She began to sing at 15 in cafés and in the streets of Paris and was soon engaged to sing in a cabaret. Fame quickly followed her appearances in nightclubs all over Europe and America. Piaf appeared in several movies, starring in Le Bel Indifférent (1940), originally a play written for her by Jean Cocteau. Her highly emotional and powerful voice was enormously expressive. Her performance of the song Milord was especially cherished by international audiences.
